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Contributed to the following blends: No blenders are supplied by Bruichladdich.

In addition to the lightly peated (3-5 ppm of phenol) barley used for the Bruichladdich whisky, Port Charlotte (40 ppm) was distilled for the first time in 2001 (29th May 2001) and the world's most heavily peated whisky, Octomore (80 ppm) in 2002 (23rd October 2002). In July 2005, the first triple distillation was run (Bruichladdich Tresatrig). The world first quadruple-distilled whisy, the Usquebaugh-baul was distilled at 11.30 on Monday the February 27th 2006.

Some Bruichladdich original bottlings. From left to right: the old 15 and 21 YO, Bruichladdich The Twenty (second edition), Valinch (Queen's Award Feis Ile 2005), The Enlightenment and the 1984.

Since its founding in 1881, as a state-of- the-art distillery, Bruichladdich distillery has retained its Victorian legacy in spite of the wind of change brought by Jim McEwan and the Murray MacDavid team (Mark Reynier, Simon Coughlin [both previous wine sellers in London] and Gordon Wright [former Springbank distillery director]) in 2001.

History of Bruichladdich

Bruichladdich was originaly built in 1881 by John MacDonald of Glasgow Tollcross for the Harvey brothers (Robert, William and John Gourlay), a family who already owned Yoker and Dundashill distilleries in Glasgow, the latter being the largest malt distillery of Scotland at that time. As the demand of blended scotch was replacing the malt whiskies in the 1880s, Bruichladdich decided to produce a lighter whisky than the other Islay distilleries, as with Bunnahabhain Disitllery. The distillery was rebuilt in 1886 and the family consolidated their interests in the Bruichladdich Distillery Company (Islay) Ltd. At the time of Alfred Barnard's visit, the distillery was producing 94'000 gallons (427'000 litre) of spirit per annum. The distillery remained under the same ownership, but closed its door in 1929 during the big recession (and the American Prohibition). The doors reopened in 1937 after the purchase of the distillery H. Attari, A.W. Tolmie and J.W. Hobbs (who already owned several distilleries such as Glenkinchie, Benromach and Ben Nevis) who transfered it in 1938 to the Associated Scottish Distillers Ltd (National Distillers of America), an American investment company. With the start of the Second World War and the rationalisation of the ressources (i.e., barley), the distillery was forced to close from 1939 to 1945 and the distillery passed thence to Ross and Coulter in 1952. In 1960, A.B. Grant bought Ross and Coulter and doubled the capacity of the distillery before Invergordon Distillers took over in 1968. In 1975, Invergordon added two new stills to the distillery (from two to four). Due to whisky overstocks, the distillery was temporarly closed in 1983 and then mothballed from 1995 to 2000, with a short production in 1998. In the meantime, Whyte & Mackay bought Invergordon in 1993, was again sold 2 years later to Jim Beam Brands (american bourbon distiller). Finally, on the 19th Dec. 2000, the distillery was bought by the Muray McDavid consortium led by Mark Reynier, Simon Coughlin and Gordon Wright. This is now a private Scottish company with a base of 45 individuals of Islay landowners (and some American shareholders (25%)). The distillery was bought for £6.5 million, including a stock of 1.4 mio litres and a further £1 mio worth of stock (for the Murray McDavid independent bottling activity). In 2001, a heavily peated whisky was distilled, the Port Charlotte (40 ppm). One year later, in 2002, the world's most heavily peated was produced, the Octomore (80.5 ppm). Jim McEwan and the Bruichladdich Distillery Ltd continued with innovations and produced an organic whisky in 2003 and the first triple distilled spirit in Islay in 2005, the trestarig, as well as the first bere barley whisky in this millenium on January 25, 2006. To my knowledge, the last whisky distilled from bere barley was done in the mid 1980s by Michel Couvreur).
The output in 2005 was 475'000 litres or 55'000 litres more than in 1881. In 2006, the production is expected to reach 600'00 litres. With the strong perfomance of Bruichladdich whisky (e.g, in Russia), the output will increase in the future. The maximal capacity of Bruichladdich is of 1'500'000 litres.

Update:

In February 2010, during the renovations of the still house, a Lomond still from the old Inverleven (Dumbarton) distillery was added to the 2 pairs of spirit and wash stills. The distillery was sold in July 2012 for £56mio to Remy Cointreau.

The traditionnal wooden washbacks

and the still house, with the 4 stills.

Most of the warehouses in Bruichladdich are tradionnal dunnage on two rows.

Bruichladdich bottling hall. Bruichladdich is one of the few distillery to have its own bottling hall.